Dr. Osler Regrets
"Dr. Osler Regrets" is the fifth episode of the eleventh season of the ''Murdoch Mysteries'' and the one hundred-fifty-fifth of the series. It first aired on October 23, 2017. Summary Murdoch suspects that a sequential killer is behind a number of murders staged to look like suicides. Murdoch and Ogden are dining with Julia’s university mentor and teacher Dr. Osler who is the subject of a highly publicised reporting of a recent speech he gave on ageing and mortality when an angry Archie Doyle interrupts them, in a near-violent encounter, accusing Dr. Osler of murdering his father. Mr. Norman Doyle’s suspicious suicide is the first of four similar deaths and, according to The Gazette, Dr. Osler is the impetus behind the suicides until they are declared murders. Murdoch is not convinced that a man who goes through the trouble of staging elaborate murders would choose his victims at random. Brackenreid quips, “''Not everything's a puzzle, Murdoch''.'' Sometimes people are just crackers''.” Murdoch’s questions remain: Where does he find his victims and how does he know their schedules? Or the exact right time to strike? The victims have no familial, social, or financial connections. Inspector Brackenreid believes the staged suicides by chloroform of sexagenarians are the work of a sequential killer, while Gazette reporter Miss Cherry pens the criminal ‘The Mercy Killer' after receiving letters from him, but Murdoch begins to suspect there is more than one murderer after the fourth victim arrives at the City Morgue. Then, Crabtree finds laundry receipts, belonging to their latest victim, Stanley Bingham who used the same service as their last victim, Paul Adelaide, but more immediately relevant to the case, George identifies an antiquated expression in the latest letter that helps to reveal the person claiming to be ‘The Mercy Killer’ whereupon the writer Miss Cherry lands in jail for obstruction of justice. Murdoch surmises what if it is a single killer with only one true target? If the other victims are “''misdirection decoys''”, which one is the target? After gathering the alibis of their suspects and checking them off on the blackboard – “''like tic-tac bloody toe''” – there is only one person without an alibi for all four murders. But when they arrive at the Doyle home to arrest Archie, they are taken aback by Mrs. Doyle’s confession. She had staged her husband’s suicide as a murder otherwise the church would never have allowed them to be buried in the same cemetery. This revelation now leaves only one other suspect with an alibi for the first murder, but none for the others – Jack Borden. Character Revelations * Dr. Osler knew Dr. Ogden from her days at university. For a time at McGill, Julia considered leaving medical school but Osler reinvigorated her interest in medicine. * George Crabtree unveils an interesting new hobby - amateur horology. He shows Murdoch the pocketwatch he made. Murdoch asks if it works. It does – at least twice a day. * Upon being both jailed and fired from The Gazette, Louise Cherry is hired by the Toronto Telegraph to George's dismay. * In this case, it is Brackenreid who makes the connection to the Churchill's Laundry Service that provides the needed proof to arrest the murderer. Continuity * Having made entry into medical school, Miss Violet Hart starts her new job at the City Morgue assisting Dr. Ogden, just as the good doctor had promised her (ep.1104). While discussing Dr. Osler's publised speech, Ogden reminds Miss Hart of the doctor's role: “''Our job is to do no harm.” * Toronto Gazette reporter Miss Cherry returns and is suspected of being up to her old tricks again – fake news. * Constable John Brackenreid continues his training at Station House No. 4. * When Dr. Ogden confides in Dr. Osler that she may try hormonal therapy, he counsels caution over exuberance. * When George recognises the Victorian phrase 'lays down the knife and fork', Brackenreid confesses that he's never heard it before and asks if it is a Newfoundland saying. It isn't, but Miss Cherry uses it. Historical References * This episode is based on an actual incident around a speech Dr. William Osler had given which was taken out of context and blown out of proportion; Whereupon, Osler’s reputation was, essentially, ruined for a time. * Julia shares with William that Dr. Osler’s wife is the great-granddaughter of Paul Revere. Dr. Osler adds “…''quite the accomplishment, riding a horse for an entire evening”. * The word 'euthanasia' was first used in a medical context by Francis Bacon in the 17th century, to refer to an easy, painless, happy death, during which it was a "physician's responsibility to alleviate the 'physical sufferings' of the body". * Dr. Odgen references the doctor's Hippocratic Oath. * In 1902 Ernest Starling and William Batliss isolated a substance that they called secretin, released into the blood, which in turn stimulates secretion into the intestine of pancreatic digestive juice. Two years later, Starling coined the term hormone to denote such substances released in a restricted part of the body, carried by the bloodstream to unconnected parts, where, in extremely small quantities, they are capable of profoundly influencing the function of those parts. Dr. Ogden believes the same principal can be applied to the reproductive sciences. * Fake news allusions: the MM Writers' Room likes to establish a corollary between what happens in Murdoch's world to what's happening in current history. * The phrase "salad days", said by Brackenreid to his son John, is an idiomatic expression meaning a youthful time, accompanied by enthusiasm and idealism, coined in [[Literary Quotes and Reference Guide|Shakespeare's Antony and Cleopatra]] (1606). The modern usage is when somebody is at the peak of their abilities — not necessarily when young. *Allusion is made to the famous recluse Howard Hughes who saved his own urine and had long nails. Trivia * While there are four dead bodies related to this case, there were “''five bodies in the City Morgue” in 'Artful Detective' and the most bodies in morgue at any one time was during the summer heat wave in 'Loch Ness Murdoch. * Actor Kristopher Turner first appeared in Murdoch Mysteries as Sam Fineman in ''Let Us Ask the Maiden; he returns as Jack Borden. * After appearing once before on Murdoch Mysteries as Dr. Lawrence Abbott in 'Buffalo Shuffle, Stewart Arnott returns as William Osler. * Actor Benjamin Blais first appeared on Murdoch Mysteries as Billy Slater in Downstairs, Upstairs. * Actress Sarah Orenstein made her first appearance in Season 1 of Murdoch Mysteries as Clara Pollack in The Glass Ceiling. (also, see other Recasted Actors) * By the end of Season 10, the character of Louise Cherry lost favor with MM fandom after she calls the Murdochs "...those awful bores" (ep.1017) and is held as untrustworthy ever since. Errors * It was established in Season 1 that Dr. Ogden attended Bishop's University while this episode reveals that Julia attended McGill University in Montréal. Cast Main Cast Yannick Bisson as Detective William Murdoch Hélène Joy as Dr. Julia Ogden Thomas Craig as Inspector Thomas Brackenreid Jonny Harris as Constable George Crabtree Recurring Cast Shanice Banton as Violet Hart Charles Vandervaart as John Brackenreid Lachlan Murdoch as Constable Henry Higgins Bea Santos as Louise Cherry Guest Cast Stewart Arnott as Dr. William Osler Kristopher Turner as Jack Borden Benjamin Blais as Archie Doyle Sarah Orenstein as Catherine Doyle Spencer Robson as Strother Campbell Edie Inksetter as Eleanor Webster James Purcell as Oliver Linehan Thomas Duplessie as Young Man Uncredited Cast Nathan Hoppe as Constable McNabb Gallery 1105 Dr. Osler Regrets news1.png|Fake News 1105 Dr. Osler Regrets news3.png|Crime scene 1 1105 Victim 1.png|Victim #1 Norman Doyle 1105 Dr. Osler Regrets Dine2.png|Another news article 1105 Constable McNabb.png|McNabb interrupts interview... 1105 Victim 2.png|Victim #2 - Miles Borden 1105 Meeting Miss Hart 1.png|City Morgue: Meeting Miss Hart 1105 Brax and Constable.png|What did Nosy Nelly want? - Sir, just fishing. 1105 Osler and Ogden.png|Doctors private talk in the park 1105 Dr. Osler Regrets Thief.png|Chasing a thief... 1105 Where were you Higgins?.png|Where were you, Higgins? 1105 Dr. Osler Regrets Victim #3.png|Victim #3 1105 Dr. Osler Regrets 6.png|Toronto Gazette 1105 Dr. Osler Regrets 9.png|The killer speaks... 1105 Dr. Osler Regrets 11.png|The letter from... 1105 Dr. Osler Regrets 12.png|'The Mercy Killer' 1105 Dr. Osler Regrets Bar Scene.png|After work watering hole... 1105 Victim 4.png|Victim #4 - Stanley Bingham 1105 Dr. Osler Regrets 15.png|Laundry receipts 1105 Dr. Osler Regrets Cherry.png|Questioning Miss Cherry 1105 Dr. Osler Regrets Blackboard 2.png|At the Blackboard|link=Blackboard 1105 Dr. Osler Regrets laundry.png|Making the connection|link=Churchill's Laundry Service 1105 Dr. Osler Regrets 17.png|Cherry in jail Category:Season Eleven Category:Season Error